Dead Living
by Aniki the Crim
Summary: Sequel to Should Have Spoken Sooner. Roy dwells in Death, and Ed wallows in grief, close to suicidal. An anti-military alchemist has a theory. The Gate feels generous. What will happen next? :p


**A/N- Yay! Sequel time! Alright. This is the sequel to my one-shot, **_**Should Have Spoken Sooner.**_** So. This is the choice that follows choice number… 3 I think. You guys can double check on the other story if you really care. Oh! About my other story, **_**Always A Price**_**. This is currently on hiatus. First of all, the second chapter is partially finished, and being constantly revised. Second of all, it's typed up on our laptop, which is having spazzy internet problems. Thirdly, I'm too lazy to type it up on this computer. And lastly, … one minute, I forgot… oh yeah. Lastly, I'm really into this story. (Which will be multi-chappie) Anyways, enjoy! By the way, the parts for Roy's POV might be confusing, because they were written in writing class, and I had to give the character a specific speech pattern. Mine was just… um… maybe it's contradictory… You just see for yourself.**

**Disclaimer- Despite my wishes, FMA still isn't mine. And neither is Roy Mustang. **** But I'm working on it! :p**

_Dead Living_

Chapter 1: Smile

Roy POV (1st person)

Being dead was not at all how I would have imagined. There was nothing, yet there was everything. There was no color, nor was there any absence of color. When things moved, they did not move. Nothing lived, yet everything breathed. Time passed, but nothing changed. Life ended with Death, but Death began new Life.

Ed POV (3rd person)

Lifeless. Edward Elric was lifeless. His body lived, but his spirit was dead. Shattered. Broken. Beyond repair. Ed's brother, Alphonse, was the only reason Ed still breathed. He couldn't leave Al alone, not without restoring his body. So Ed rolled himself out of bed everyday, forced himself to get up and move. Some days he could even force himself to work. But no matter what, Ed could not force himself to smile.

General POV (3rd person)

The day after Major Edward Elric's superior officer, Colonel Roy Mustang, was killed, the Fullmetal Alchemist quit the military. He didn't show up in person, just sent his pocket watch, along with his resignation papers, directly to the Fuhrer. The rest of Mustang's staff, who considered Ed and Al family, didn't even hear about the resignation until a month had passed. Naturally, they were shocked that the brothers had left without even saying goodbye. Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, to whom the Elric brothers were like sons, put together a ragtag search party made up of the rest of Mustang's team.

After many long days (about three) of searching, Hawkeye and crew struck gold. At long last they stood in front of the small flat that they'd been told belonged to Ed and Al. For a few minutes the team just stood there, unsure of what to do. After a couple awkward moments, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc spoke up tentatively. "Um… Hawkeye… I… I think you should knock…"

Riza nodded, then knocked on the door. When there was no answer, she paused, and then rapped again, harder this time.

A muffled, "I'm coming!" was heard, accompanied by heavy, clanking footsteps.

Moments later the front door opened to reveal the giant suit of armor that was Edward's brother, Alphonse. "Oh, Lieutenant Hawkeye. I… wasn't expecting you… Um… unless there's something wrong at headquarters, now's really not a good time…"

Riza fingered the handle of her gun. "Yes, there is something wrong actually. And it has to do with the fact that you and Ed just ran off without telling anybody."

Al waved his hands sheepishly. "Oh yeah. Um. We're really sorry about that. Ed just needed some time off. Well, it was really nice seeing you, shouldn't you guys be heading back to Central before you're missed?"

Hawkeye glared at the soul in armor. "We have three months leave Alphonse. We would like to see Edward."

More arm waving from Al. "NO! No, that's not a good idea. Ed's… not feeling too well right now. Wouldn't want you guys to… catch… anything…" Al sighed. Riza had already slipped through the doorway and was waiting determinedly. "Fine," he grumbled, "But you guys aren't going to like what you see. And he's not likely to respond to you either. The Colonel was his best friend, his death hit him hard."

Riza nodded. "We all cared for Roy, Al. This is hard for all of us. Now where is Ed?"

_It's not as hard for you guys as it is for Ed. You only lost a commander and friend; Ed lost the person he loved. _Al sighed again and beckoned the little group down the hall. "Alright, here's his room. If he's sleeping, I'm kicking you all out."

Al opened the door. The ragtag team peered into the room. And saw Ed. And he looked like hell.


End file.
